On his birthday, Eric Lauer gave and received.
The new 24-year-old with a new curveball worked his way out of some early trouble with defensive help from his teammates and went on to pitch six of his strongest innings this season.
His final inning Monday was followed immediately by the Padres’ biggest inning of the season, as they scored seven runs en route to an 8-2 victory in the opener of a three-game series against the Phillies at Petco Park.
Manny Machado’s first grand slam as a Padre capped a sixth inning that also featured Ian Kinsler’s 900th career RBI.